Sounds like a civil war we should leave to the Iraqis.
 
Bruce
 
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/4101439.html
24 killed in Iraqi bombings, shooting 
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA 
Associated Press Writer
Virginian Pilot
August 08, 2006
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Iraq's prime minister sharply criticized a U.S.-Iraqi
attack on a Shiite militia stronghold in Baghdad, exposing a rift with his
American partners on security tactics, as 24 people were killed Tuesday in a
series of bombings and a shooting.
An American soldier also died of wounds sustained in fighting in western
Anbar province, the U.S. military said Tuesday.
The latest violence - in addition to the 10 killed in a suicide bombing in
Samarra on Monday - occurred amid a major U.S. operation to secure Baghdad
in order to control Shiite-Sunni sectarian bloodshed that many fear will
lead to civil war.
The U.S.-Iraqi air and ground attack was launched before dawn Monday in Sadr
City, which is controlled by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his
Mahdi Army militia. Police said three people, including a woman and a child,
were killed in the raid, which the U.S. command said was aimed at
"individuals involved in punishment and torture cell activities."



 



Three people were captured, the U.S. military said.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, said he was "very angered and
pained" by the operation, warning that it could undermine his efforts toward
national reconciliation.
"Reconciliation cannot go hand-in-hand with operations that violate the
rights of citizens this way," al-Maliki said in a statement on government
television. "This operation used weapons that are unreasonable to detain
someone - like using planes."
He apologized to the Iraqi people for the operation and said "this won't
happen again."
Hours after he spoke, central Baghdad was shaken early Tuesday by three
near-simultaneous bomb explosions near the Interior Ministry building in the
Al-Nahda neighborhood. Ten civilians were killed and eight people were
injured, said police Lt. Bilal Ali Majid.
A few hours later, two roadside bombs exploded within minutes of each other
in the main Shurja market in central Baghdad, killing 10 people and injuring
50, said police Lt. Mohammed Kheyoun.
At about the same time, gunmen stormed a bank in Baghdad and killed two
guards and a customer. They drove away with an unknown amount of money, said
police Sgt. Zakariya Hassan. Also Tuesday, two roadside bombs in Tikrit
north of Baghdad killed a policeman, said police Capt. Laith Hamid.
Overnight, nine bullet-riddled bodies were found in Kut south of Baghdad,
and four Shiites were shot dead by gunmen in Baqouba, northeast of the
capital.
On Monday, President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, met with the top U.S. commander
in Iraq, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., to discuss security operations in
Baghdad. Talabani said he told Casey "it is in no one's interest to have a
confrontation" with al-Sadr's movement.
The public positions taken by al-Maliki and Talabani signal serious
differences between Iraqi politicians and both U.S. and Iraqi military
officials on how to restore order and deal with armed groups, many of which
have links to political parties.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Casey made no mention of al-Sadr but said he
had discussed plans with Talabani to bring "fundamental change to the
security situation in Baghdad" before Ramadan, which begins in late
September.
Al-Sadr has risen to become a major figure in the Shiite community and a
pillar of support for al-Maliki. The prime minister's apology and criticism
of the U.S. forces may have helped placate al-Sadr, who on Monday urged his
followers to show restraint.
In a statement read at all Mahdi Army offices, al-Sadr urged his militiamen
to be "calm and patient, and avoid being drawn into civil war," said the
cleric's aide, Mohammed al-Fartousi.
He said al-Sadr urged the militiamen to purge all those who bring the Mahdi
Army into disrepute. They should also "denounce the kidnapping of Iraqis,
denounce destruction of mosques and denounce killing of innocent people,"
said his aide, Mohammed al-Fartousi.
---
Associated Press correspondents Rawya Rageh, Qais al-Bashir and Bushra Juhi
contributed to this report.
C 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our
<http://apdigitalnews.com/privacy.html> Privacy Policy.
  


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